This Day in U.S. History, May 1st.

On May 1st, 1960, Francis Gary Powers was shot down by Soviet Air Defenses while piloting his U-2 spy plane.

Flying from an airbase established in Pakistan, Powers was supposed to take pictures of several top-secret soviet facilities before landing in Norway. Unfortunately, the Soviets were aware of the flights and were prepared.

Their first attempts to bring the U-2 down were with MiG-19 fighters, with orders to bring it down by any means including ramming if necessary. Due to the extreme operating altitude of the spy plane, the MiG-19s were unable to engage but continued to chase it. Finally a salvo of surface-to-air missiles hit the aircraft and it began to descend. Powers bailed out just before a second salvo hit the aircraft and was captured. A pursuing MiG was brought down by friendly fire.

Initially, the United States tried to cover up the incident. NASA claimed one of their aircraft had gone missing, and a U-2 was given a NASA paintjob in an attempt to convince the press that it was operating these aircraft. The Soviets continued to tell the world (correctly) that they had shot down a spy-plane.

The Soviets made no mention that Francis Gary Powers had been captured, and then President Dwight D. Eisenhower assumed he had been killed (or had killed himself using poison he carried in a fake silver dollar to avoid capture). The White House issued a statement saying a weather research aircraft had lost its way and that "there was absolutely no deliberate attempt to violate Soviet airspace and never has been."

The White House had walked right into a trap, and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev announced "I must tell you a secret. When I made my first report I deliberately did not say that the pilot was alive and well… and now just look how many silly things [the Americans] have said." Not only did they have Powers, but the Soviets had even managed to develop some of the film taken by the U-2's camera.

A very embarrassed White House was forced to acknowledge the spying missions, and Soviet-U.S. relationships deteriorated even further. Francis Gary Powers was convicted of espionage, and sentenced to three years of imprisonment followed by seven of hard labor. He was later exchanged for a captured soviet spy after serving 21 months of the sentence.

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Election Day: November 4, 2008: Quotes & Votes

With today's election in the balance, I thought these quotes, from past presidents, to be appropriate. I don't care who you vote for... as long as you vote.

Happy Election Day!

"The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter." - Dwight Eisenhower

"The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all."- JFK

"I hope that no American will waste his franchise and throw away his vote by voting either for me or against me solely on account of my religious affiliation. It is not relevant." - JFK

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." - John Quincy Adams

"The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men." - Lyndon Johnson

"Voters quickly forget what a man says." - Richard Nixon

"When a fellow tells me he's bipartisan, I know he's going to vote against me." - Harry Truman

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For more quotes from these presidents and others, please visit http://ushistorysite.com/president_quotes.php

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Survey Results: Who is the Best President since 1950?

Put down your pencils. The polls are now closed.

The readers of USHistorySite.Blogspot.com have spoken... the best President since 1950 (from the choices given) is... William Jefferson Clinton.

This is Clinton's first Survey Victory and came as kind of a surprise to me. With 33% percent of the vote he narrowly edged out Ronald Reagan who received 29% of the vote.

Here are the full results after 72 votes:

Harry Truman - 11% (8 votes)
Dwight D. Eisenhower - 5% (4 votes)
John F. Kennedy - 20% (15 votes)
Ronald Reagan - 29% (21 votes)
Bill Clinton - 33% (24 votes)

Despite his impeachment trial, in 1998 and 1999, Clinton's approval rating still ranked among the best in history at 73%. He ended his term with an approval rating of 68%. And according to Wikipedia, (I know... not the most reliable source) his final rating is higher than that of any other departing president since approval ratings began more than seventy years earlier.

Why was his approval so high?

How about 8 years of relative peace and prosperity. A good economy leaves people happy. Nobody can doubt his intelligence, and how he used his intelligence to be the best fiscal leader we've had in a long, long time. This rationale could be the same reason Ronald Reagan ranked so high.

Thank you to all who contributed, and more importantly to those that commented and opened up a dialogue. I'd like to hear from more of you concerning the results. Does this surprise you?

To get it started - here is my grandfather's reaction

I just reviewed your survey. It seems to me that the answers were progressive. By that I mean young people with very little knowledge of past history voted the current appeal.They knew little or nothing of Truman and Eisenhower. I wouldn't say IKE was a good President,but he could have run on any ticket and been elected. He was that popular.It would be the same for Colin Powell. It's unfortunate that we are faced with our present dilemma. The good ones don't have national appeal and the ones with national appeal are awful. They are supported by young liberals who would have been better to serve Army time to open their eyes. GP

I welcome thoughts on GPs comments as well...

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Who is the Best President since 1950?

I was in New Orleans for a few days on business. Learned a bit about the history of NOLA, did some work with Habitat for Humanity, putting on siding for Charles (the home owner) in the Upper 9th Ward (one of the most devestaded areas), spent some time at a conference, strolled Bourbon Street and bought a book about the Battle of New Orleans from a bookshop where William Faulkner used to live. A good week for site seeing, but a bad week for posts.

That said, I've added a new USHistorySite Survey...

The question is: Who is the Best President since 1950?

Harry Truman

Dwight D. Eisenhower

John F. Kennedy

Ronald Reagan

Bill Clinton

You can find it in the margin on the right. I'll leave it up until I get 50 votes or more...

Let me know your comments after you vote? Why did you choose JFK? Tell me why you think Carter should have made the list. Is Bill Clinton deserving? The forum is now open...

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An Officer and a President: The Military Service of Our Presidents

One of our President's seven main duties is that of Commander in Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces. Essentially the be-all-end-all of every major military decision. From the signing peace treaties with Britain in the late 1700s to the decision to remain in Iraq in 2008, the President is the highest military authority.

This being said, serving in the military is not a pre-requisite to become President, although more than half of our Presidents have done so.

In these times of change, Republican front-runner, John McCain's military background is being seen by some as a competitive advantage. And if elected it could very well impact his decision making. A recent article on McCain in Newsweek highlighted this fact and also took a closer look at six presidents who's military service have had a particular impact on them. According to historian Michael Beschloss)

George Washington
Top Military Rank: General
Active Service: American Revolutionary War, French and Indian War
Branch: Virginia Militia, Continental Army

After successfully winning the Revolutionary War, Washington knew Britain still posed a serious threat, and thus signed an unpopular treaty with Britain protecting the United States from British invasion.

Andrew Jackson
Top Military Rank: Major General
Active Service: American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Creek War, First Seminole War
Branch: Continental Army, United States Army

Known to many as the guy on the $20 dollar bill, Andrew Jackson learned a great lesson from standing up against and defeating the monstrous British Army. It gave him the courage to take on other big foes like the U.S. Bank. Although it also gave him the confidence to stomp out the innocent Cherokees and force them to move West, killing over 4,000 Cherokees on the Trail of Tears.

Theodore Roosevelt
Top Military Rank: Colonel
Active Service: Spanish-American War
Branch: United States Army

Victory in the Spanish-American War made Roosevelt a national hero. He snowballed this fame into a successful political career, catapulting him to President. Roosevelt definitely used his personality to his advantage and for that is one of our most popular Presidents. His victory in the war, giving the US control over Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines also set the stage for American Imperialism impacting much more than just Teddy's Presidency.

Roosevelt was also the only U.S. President to receive the Medal of Honor (awarded posthumously in 2001).

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Top Military Rank: General
Active Service: Stateside service during World War I, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II, military career lasted from 1915 to 1952.
Branch: United States Army

Like Roosevelt, it was Eisenhower's military prowess that sprung him to Presidency. But it was Ike's time in Europe where he learned that Presidents usually inflated the national budget. When pressured by the Pentagon to increase the budget for the defense war chest, Eisenhower refused and kept a well balanced budget.

John F. Kennedy
Top Military Rank: Lieutenant
Active Service: World War II
Branch: United States Navy

Kennedy's service in World War II gave him the critical thinking skills to realize how one problem could cause another and another. This undoubtedly gave him the decision making skills and the mind-set to handle the Cuban Missile Crisis as calmly and as successfully as he did.

George H.W. Bush
Top Military Rank: Lieutenant
Active Service: World War II
Branch: US Navy Reserve

Big Bush was a pilot. His aviator experience made him knowledgeable about the risks associated with war (He was shot down and lost two of his crewmen). Some believe this encouraged him to support the Powell Doctrine, which states that a list of questions all have to be answered affirmatively before military action can be taken by the United States.

Though there are only six presidents highlighted in the McCain article, there are several other's who's time in the military impacted their presidency. I've taken the time to do some of my own research to find them.

Ulysses S. Grant

Top Military Rank: General

Active Service: Mexican War, Civil War

Branch: US Army

We all know Grant received world-wide fame for leading the Union Army to victory in the Civil War. But, Grant was fighting a war of attrition. Compared to General Lee, he had a larger, better equipped, and better fed army and wasn't afraid to watch men die. That said, he'd win his battles based on sheer numbers. This doesn't take away his unbelievable strategy at Vicksburg, but it did effect his presidency.

Experts, traditionally view Grant as a President in the bottom quadrant of US Presidents, mostly because of his tolerance of corruption. Grant would often tolerate financial and political corruption among top aids, seemingly unaware of the consequences to those that were being cheated. Though an honest man, Grant appears to have no heart when it comes to the well-being of others.

Jimmy Carter

Top Military Rank: Lieutenant

Active Service: World War II

Branch: US Naval Academy

Carter, had originally planned to make the Navy his career making Chief of Naval Operations his ultimate goal and believed that submarine duty was the fastest route to get there. Carter thought nuclear power would be increasing in submarines and he wanted to be where the growth was.
Carter did post-graduate work, studying nuclear physics and reactor technology for several months in 1953. This followed Carter's first-hand experience as part of a group of American and Canadian servicemen who took part in cleaning up after a nuclear meltdown at Canada's Chalk River Laboratories reactor.

His studies and experience helped Carter to understand the power of nuclear technology, knowing that the same science that could keep a submarine submerged underwater for months at a time, could undoubtedly do a lot of damage when used in weaponry. Thus Carter's knowledge of nuclear physics led him to the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT), which was a treaty aimed at reducing the number of nuclear arms produced and maintained by both the United States and the Soviet Union.

Richard M. Nixon

Top Military Rank: Commander

Active Service: World War II

Branch: US Navy Reserve

While working in the supply corps on several islands in the South Pacific, Nixon who is "not a crook", banked a large sum of money, which in turn helped him finance his first campaign for congress.

Harry S. Truman
Top Military Rank: Colonel
Active Service: World War I
Branch: US Navy Army/Army Reserve

Truman's eye-sight was terrible, and he reportedly secretly memorized the eye chart to pass the test to be enlisted in the Missouri National Guard, where he served from 1905-1911. He rejoined the Guard during the onset of WWI. The War brought out Truman's leadership qualities where he quickly rose to the rank of Colonel. This made possible his political career in Missouri and in turn to the Presidency.

Incidentally, between Truman and Teddy Roosevelt, there were no presidents to serve in the military. This was a run of 6 presidents, and 36 years between them. Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, and finally Franklin Roosevelt, were the 6 in succession not to serve any military duty.

On the opposite side, Bill Clinton, was the first not to serve since FDR. This was a run of 9 presidents and 40 years between them. And although military experience can be very important for the character of the president, it is not, and shall never be a pre-requisite.

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